


Hooray, Hooray For The

by bookofcalm



Category: Criminal Minds, Leverage
Genre: Crossover, Discworld References, Friendship, Gen, spoilers for CM 3x08 and 3x09
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-24
Updated: 2013-05-24
Packaged: 2017-12-12 21:34:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/816292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookofcalm/pseuds/bookofcalm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two hackers exchange gifts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hooray, Hooray For The

**Author's Note:**

> Written July 2010. Thanks to Sophi for the mild poking she gave it at the time.

The box arrives two weeks after the shooting. Morgan's come over to check up on her and clearly wants to know why Garcia is getting a giant package from an anonymous P.O. Box in Las Vegas. So does Garcia, but she isn't going to say so.

"Why don't we open it and find out?" asks Morgan. “If I'm going to haul something that big into your apartment, I should at least get to see what it is.”

"It could be the order of sex toys I put in a few weeks ago," Garcia says wickedly.

"That would be a lot of playtime," Morgan replies. "And here I thought you were such an innocent, baby girl." He shakes his head in mock disappointment, and Garcia _would_ laugh, but laughing still hurts, so she settles for a smile. Morgan takes out his keys and pulls them down the middle of the tape holding the box's top closed. 

It's a giant stuffed sea turtle.

"Well, that was unexpected," says Morgan.

“Is there a card?” Garcia asks. Morgan nods. Garcia imperiously holds out a hand. “Fork it over, hot stuff.” Morgan does as he's told, then waits impatiently to find out what the card says.

“Well?” he asks after a minute.

“It's in binary,” Garcia says, showing him a card covered in ones and zeroes. “I'm a little rusty; it's going to take a few minutes to translate. Get me some paper?”

Morgan does. “A pen would also be nice,” Garcia says.

By the time Morgan comes back with a fluffy sparkly purple pen, Garcia is already smiling a little. 

“It's a nerdy 'Get Well Soon' card,” she explains. “ _Dear Penelope, heard you got hurt, stay safe and come back to the guild soon, A._ And then there's some more personal stuff you probably don't want to hear about.”

“Your _guild_?”

“One of my Warcraft buddies. He gets worried when I miss raids without notice.”

“It's not very secure for people from your internet games to know where you live, Penelope,” Derek chides. 

“Oh, I never told him,” Garcia says. She doesn't seem worried, though, so he lets it rest, and then makes her go do the same. 

Garcia figures that what Morgan doesn't know won't hurt him, and never mentions the part of the note that contains an apology and instructions for using the disposable phone sewn into the turtle's front left flipper. Garcia isn't entirely certain if she'll use the phone; despite the apology, she's still kind of mad at Hardison for the last time he hacked into her work computers. Still, it's a possibility, so Garcia makes a note to keep tabs on what Hardison is up to. Just in case.

***

They're sitting in McRory's, celebrating another successful job, when the door to the pub opens and a beanpole of a guy steps in holding a brightly-wrapped package. At first, the only person who notices is Eliot, but then the guy starts walking towards their table. He's all gangly and looks kind of absentminded professorish, but somehow something about him still screams "Fed!" Eliot does not like this at all. He glares. The guy falters a second, but still keeps coming, package under his left arm, right fist clenched. He stops at the edge of their table and looks straight at Hardison. Eliot _really_ does not like this, and is apparently joined in this sentiment by the rest of the team, who look wary.

The guy clears his throat. "Um. Alec Hardison?" he says tentatively. The team tenses up as one.

"Who wants to know?" Eliot growls.

"Yeah, who wants to know?" echoes Parker.

"My name is Spencer Reid?" Geez, everything this guy says sounds like a question. "I was sent by . . . a mutual friend, I think." He opens his right hand to reveal two pennies.

"Oh," Hardison says, and relaxes a little. He meets Reid's eyes and says "The significant owl hoots in the night." 

Reid makes a face, like he's concentrating, then recites, a bit stilted, "'But what about the cagèd whale, sugar?'" Parker snorts, and Reid blushes. "The last part is directly from her!" he says. "Anyway, I'm supposed to give you this." He reaches across Parker (always a mistake, thinks Eliot) and hands the box to Hardison. Upon leaning back, Reid looks at Parker.

"May I have my badge and wallet back?" he asks. "My boss will get mad." Parker hands them over with a grumpy expression. Sophie looks mildly impressed.

"Well, bye," says Reid, waving awkwardly.

"Hardison, what the hell kind of shit are you getting from the FBI?" Eliot demands as soon as the coast is clear. "That guy could have been here to arrest you! For crimes! Or breaking into the FBI database or something!"

"He totally wouldn't be able to," Parker reassures Hardison. "Eliot would beat him up first."

"Children," says Nate, "We can't go beating up the FBI for no reason. Hardison, open the package please."

Hardison grumbles a little. "It's just from Penny, I don't think there's gonna be an issue."

"Hardison."

"Fine." Hardison tears into the wrapping paper to reveal a box. He opens it. There's another box inside, with a note taped to the top, a long string of fancy ones and zeros. 

"What does that mean?" Parker asks. She's obviously curious, but Hardison doesn't reply for a minute. He scans the numbers twice, then opens the box. There's a grey newsboy cap inside, which Hardison puts almost reverently on his head. 

Hardison reads the note again, grins, and looks at Parker. " _Keep wearing it_ ," he says.


End file.
